Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – The 16th Lao-Australia Senior Officials' Meeting concluded in Canberra, Australia. Following the meeting, both governments made a clear commitment to deepening their comprehensive partnership and established development, trade, climate action, and security as the four core pillars of future cooperation, charting a clear path for bilateral cooperation.
The meeting was co-chaired by Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Phongsamote Anlaven and Australian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Michel Chan. During the talks, both sides reviewed the fruitful cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1952 and highlighted the progress made since the upgrade of bilateral relations to a comprehensive partnership in 2024. Both sides highly appreciated the long-standing and efficient friendship and reaffirmed their commitment to continuously expanding the depth and breadth of the partnership based on the four pillars.
The "Development Area," the first pillar of cooperation, focuses on people's well-being, access to education, and human resource development. Both countries agreed to continue supporting key development projects in Laos, including advancing the second phase of the Basic Education Quality and Accessibility (BEQUAL) project and the third phase of the Lao-Australia Institute (LAI). In terms of health cooperation, both sides will continue to work together on the Wolbachia mosquito project to curb the spread of dengue fever virus in Laos through scientific means and protect public health.
Economy, trade, and investment constitute the second pillar of bilateral cooperation. At the meeting, officials from both sides unanimously welcomed the recently launched "Laos Investment Facilitation and Transformation Plan" (LIFT 4 Laos). This plan aims to enhance Laos's endogenous economic dynamism by optimizing the investment environment, attracting high-quality foreign direct investment (FDI), and injecting vitality into Laos's economic transformation.
Addressing the global challenge of climate change, "Climate Action, Environment, and Energy" became the third pillar of cooperation. Both sides reached a consensus to conduct more effective and sustainable cooperation in this area, specifically including deepening cooperation with the Lao branch of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to leverage professional expertise to promote green development.
The fourth pillar covers the defense and law enforcement field. The meeting provided an efficient communication platform for both sides to fully exchange views on key issues such as defense cooperation, legal affairs collaboration, humanitarian assistance, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance. Meanwhile, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to continuously strengthening cooperation to jointly combat transnational crime and safeguard regional security and stability.
In addition to bilateral cooperation, both sides emphasized their intention to enhance coordination within multilateral frameworks, actively participate in the Mekong Subregion Cooperation, the ASEAN mechanism, and UN affairs, and take joint action to contribute to the achievement of global peace and stability goals.
Following the high-level meeting, Ponsamut Anlavan, leading the Lao delegation, met with Matt Tissleswait, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade (responsible for Official Development Assistance), and Immigration of Australia. This meeting focused on accelerating the implementation of cooperation in key areas between the two countries, laying a solid foundation for future cooperation.
